The Beast and the Dragon
by Max Novella
Summary: A new evil has arrived in Auradon, one that doesn't hesitate to use Mal as a pawn to defeat her sweet young king, and when it attacks everything changes. Now King Ben will be forced to channel his inner beast to save his girl, his kingdom, and protect all those he loves...but can he keep himself intact in the process?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay - I don't know everything there is to know about Descendants, I just know that I have watched both movies several times and have really enjoyed them. The characters are ripe for future stories, and I am excited to participate in this fandom. So please forgive me if I step on any toes or get details wrong.** **Oh yeah - and I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to someone else, I'm just borrowing them to create my own future story. :)**

 **Spoilers for the first two movies included.**

 **Synopsis: A new evil has arrived in Auradon, one that doesn't hesitate to use Mal as a pawn to defeat her sweet young king, and when it attacks everything changes. Now King Ben will be forced to channel his inner beast to save his girl, his kingdom, and protect all those he loves...but can he keep himself intact in the process?**

 **WARNING: This story will get kind of dark in a few places. Nothing too terrible, but it will definitely never get picked up by Disney! But if the only stories you like are about fluffy pink princesses you probably wouldn't be here in the first place. ;)**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Blue and yellow robes flutter in the breeze, the bright spring sunshine of a beautiful Auradon afternoon cooled by the movement of the sweet-smelling air. The large garden on the school grounds was currently filled to capacity, as the hundreds of students, capped and tasseled in various shades of blue and gold, watched their king and fellow classmate finish his commencement address.

"It has been a remarkable four years for all of us," Ben commented, his gaze momentarily diverting to a bright purple head in the front row. Mal was dazzlingly beautiful today, he thought, her bright smile beaming back at him and threatening to make him forget the remainder of his well-prepared speech. Of course, that may also have been because at this point during his rehearsal with her the previous night she had deftly reached up with her lips from her place beside him on the couch and began nibbling his ear. The remaining few statements of his speech had been abruptly dropped on the floor in favor of wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and returning her kisses.

Focusing on that memory now, though, would effectively undo him. Instead he gave a huge smile to his classmates, barely able to ignore the adorable smirk from the front row as he pressed on with the conclusion of his speech. "Remarkable in that all of us have learned so much about ourselves. Not just about what is inside of us, but what has really MADE us the way we are and formed us into the individuals we are today."

"Our families..." he looked at his mother and father, beaming at him from the small sitting area to the side of the garden, thankful for the umpteenth time for their love and guidance.

"Our friends..." he turned his attention towards the long row of people he was privileged to call friends. Evie, Carlos, and Jay had grown into some of the best friends he had in the world, along with the multitude of kids he had grown up with his whole life.

"Our loves," he gently gazed down upon Mal, who was no longer smirking and was now completely transparent with the open adoration on her face directed at him.

"As we leave Auradon prep and begin the rest of our lives, let's not ever forget who we are and where we've come from," another pointed look at his colorful best friends and girlfriend. "It has made us into the amazing people we are today, and will carry us forward to a bright future. Congratulations to all of us, the Class of 2019!"

And with that, hundreds of blue and yellow caps were skyrocketed into the air, falling back to the ground in a rainstorm of tassels. Cheers and hugs were given all around, with many laughs and tears shed as the young adults realized their time together was drawing to a close.

Ben left his position at the podium to join Mal, and eventually all of their friends, in a large circle in the middle of the garden.

"Glad you were able to get through that speech, Your Highness," Mal whispered in his ear, her newest pet name for him going largely unacknowledged.

He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her gently to his side. He turned to softly place his mouth next to her ear so that only she could hear him, "If I had known you thought graduation speeches were that attractive I would have practiced with you much much more."

Mal narrowed her eyes at him and punched him softly, any malice belied by the sweet smile that he quickly leaned in and kissed.

"And now, my fellow classmates," Jay began, rising to stand atop one of the chairs and turning to address all of their friends. "Now, we celebrate!"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Do you think he'll ask you tonight?" Evie asked, a delicious grin on her face.

"Evie!" Mal shook her head, exasperated with her roommate's fixation on her eventual engagement. "You know Ben and I have talked about that. He has so much going on with the kingdom, and we just now graduated, like today, remember?" she held up her bright blue graduation cap for evidence as if her best friend had indeed forgotten.

"I know, you keep saying that," Evie admitted as she helped Mal zip up her gown. "But I have to think that Ben was just waiting for today. After all, you know it's going to happen sometime soon."

"Well, no, not necessarily..." Mal blustered. "Ben and I have talked..."

"Talk, talk, talk!" Evie interrupted. "One of these days he needs to just take charge and make it happen."

Mal stared into the mirror, glaring at her roommate's reflection behind her. "Ben's not really a 'take charge' kind of guy."

"Yeah, no kidding," she mumbled.

"Evie!" Mal's jaw dropped.

"Well, what do you want me to say? You guys have been attached at the hip for the past two years since you got back from the Isle. And I'm glad he's a gentleman and has never pushed you for anything, even when you hadn't even told him you loved him."

Mal's head momentarily dropped at the memory. She had almost lost Ben when she had fled back to the Isle instead of trusting him and talking things out, and Evie was right; since the aftermath they had become inseparable. She had allowed herself to be completely filled with his love, and had enjoyed doing the same for him. And while they had casually talked about future plans of marriage, they were nowhere near anything definite.

"I sense a big 'but' coming," Mal warned.

Evie stopped fussing with Mal's hair to place both of her hands on her shoulders and gaze into her friend's reflection in the mirror. "I'm just saying there's nothing to wait for. You both know what an amazing love you have, so why are you waiting? Why doesn't he just take charge and bring out a little of that Beast and ask you to marry him?"

The purple head bobbed again, her chin touching her chest. "Because he is the sweetest, gentlest, most loving man ever? Because he would rather die than do anything that makes me the least bit uncomfortable? Because he knows I've struggled with feeling like my life is all planned out and pre-destined and he doesn't want me to feel anything other than cherished and special where he is concerned?"

Tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes and Evie quickly grabbed a tissue for Mal to dab them. "And because I know he loves me more than anything, and he is content to just continue being sweet, gentle and loving Ben because he knows I'm still scared to death that I'll screw this up."

"I know, Mal, I'm sorry," Evie sighed. "I know you're scared, but you're right. He is a wonderful man, and he loves you. Oh does he ever love you," she laughed rubbing Mal's arm. "He was a wreck when you left him, and honestly that's the only time I guess I've ever seen him really willing to fight for something."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Evie began, not sure how to explain it. "You left, and once he found out it was all he could think about. He was going to the Isle to try to bring you back no matter what. And the only two times I can ever think of him almost going all 'Beast-like' were the two times your life was in danger, first from your mother and then from Uma."

"Hmm..." Mal contemplated her words, chewing on her bottom lip. "I know it might be kind of boring to you, but I really like regular Ben. Plus, can you imagine if we had a Beast and a Dragon around here together very much?"

Evie laughed, and the seriousness of the moment had passed. However, Evie's words had triggered something in Mal's mind, something she had been pondering for quite a while now, and something that she was now more certain than ever was absolutely necessary. She would need to discuss it with Fairy Godmother, but she now felt a feeling of urgency that had previously been absent in her musings, and knew it needed to occur soon.

As quickly as she could she finished her preparations and left their room, hoping for enough time to talk to the good fairy about it before the party got fully underway.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A stronger breeze had picked up as the graduation celebration began. No storms were forecasted for the evening, but the wind had definitely intensified as Ben waited for Mal at the entrance of the garden. Absently he reached into his pocket for the ring he had been carrying with him for the previous few months. He often checked to make sure it was still safe and accounted for, even though he had absolutely no idea when the right time would come along to present it to Mal.

He was sure she would think him crazy for carrying it around with him for so long, but he knew that when the right time came along he would know it and he wanted to be prepared. Hopefully someday when they were old and grey they would have a good laugh about it, but for now it was comforting to know that it was there and ready.

"Penny for your thoughts," she spooked him from behind.

"Mal!" he spun around, quickly stuffing the ring back into the bottom of his pocket and smiling broadly as he got a good look at her. "You look beautiful," he whispered.

"Thank you, your Highness," she curtsied.

He cocked his head to the side, knowing she only called him that to goad him into a response. "Really?"

For a brief moment her mischievous grin surfaced, the one he very rarely saw anymore and loved dearly. Then it was quickly replaced with a serious, albeit loving gaze.

"Really," she said, moving to put her arms around his torso and pull him close, burying her face in his chest.

"Whoa, what's all this for?" he queried as he hugged her back, rubbing his hands up and down her arms before locking them behind her. "I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything."

Mal took a small step back to meet his eyes, still enveloped in his arms. "I love you, Ben."

Ben gazed into the deep green orbs currently drinking him in, noting a yearning he had never seen there before. It was powerful enough to overwhelm him, and for a moment he was rendered speechless.

"Mal...I..." he said softly, "I love you too." He leaned down slightly to meet her lips with his, and though they had kissed hundreds of times before there was something special about this kiss that he couldn't describe. His hands found her waist and the back of her neck, embedding in her curls as he pulled her tighter against him. He felt as if he needed her to breathe and if he released her he would surely suffocate.

It lasted for several moments, and he knew she felt it too. When they finally parted she swayed slightly, prompting a tighter grip from him, and she had to gasp slightly to catch her breath. They stared at each other for a long moment, unsure as to what had just happened.

"Wow," she whispered breathlessly.

"Yeah," he echoed her sentiment. "What was that?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. But I want to do it again."

There it was; that mischievous grin he loved so well was back again. "Fine by me," he offered, mouth suddenly dry. Nerves began to take over, rendering him sweaty and clammy all at the same time, and he knew it was now or never. This was it, this was the moment he had been waiting for.

"First I need to ask you something though," he began, confidence building only slightly as he quickly worked through his plan. Realistically he just prayed he wasn't going to puke from nervousness.

"Yes?" she asked softly, still swaying slightly in his arms.

Ben released her with one arm and pulled the ring out of his pocket with the other hand. "Can we do that every day for the rest of our lives?" He brought the ring up to her field of vision, and suddenly clarity snapped back into place for Mal.

"Mal, will you marry me?"

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	2. Chapter 2

**The Beast and the Dragon, Chapter 2**

Mal looked down at Ben, perched on one knee and still holding her left hand, his other hand extended to her and currently holding the most beautiful purple diamond ring she had ever seen. Despite the recent conversation with Evie he had completely taken her by surprise, this time with her eyes wide open. His handsome face was clearly a mixture of love and nervousness, and his puppy dog eyes were gazing at her with such vulnerable adoration that she instantly felt tears spring to her eyes. Finally unable to contain her sob, she broke her hand free from Ben's to cover her eyes.

"Mal..." Ben started, suddenly unsure of himself as he rose back to his feet. "I...I'm sorry. I mean, I know we hadn't talked about this or anything, it just felt like the right time."

He moved to take her in his arms and she fell into them willingly, desperately trying to get her sobs under control so she could form a coherent sentence. She could feel his heart hammering in his chest, and her heart broke slightly as she felt a defeated sigh release itself from his frame. Still, his arms offered never ending support and he pulled her even closer as he closed his eyes and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

Her resolve took over at that point, imagining what he must possibly be thinking by her odd reaction. It took several jerky breaths and a long moment but she was finally able to compose herself.

"Ben," followed by a sniff as she held him at arm's length. "I'm so sorry. I have completely ruined this..."

"No!" he interrupted, shaking his head vehemently. "No, you haven't ruined anything!" He forced a smile to his face, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs to remove the last few tears from her face.

"Yes!" she insisted. "Yes I have! You just gave me..." her voice threatened to break again and her chin began to quiver. She brought the back of her hand up to her mouth to rein in the sob that was fighting to break free, then waved her face as she blew out the breath she was holding.

"Mal, it's okay," he soothed, his own heart crushing under her distress.

"No, Ben, it's not okay!" She broke free from his arms and took a step away from him, her resolve strengthened by the devastated look on his face.

"You just gave me the most romantic proposal I could have ever dreamed of," she offered. "And I blew it. I absolutely blew it." He opened his mouth to argue but she raised her hand to stop him and returned to her former position almost within his reach. His heart was screaming at him to envelop her in his arms to prevent her usual flight response, but his arms were instead clenched into fists at his side, knowing right now for whatever reason she needed the physical separation.

Mal's voice was soft, almost a whisper when she continued. "Ben...you are so good. And so honest. And humble and wonderful. And I cannot, on this earthly plane, understand what it is about me that you love so much. But for whatever reason, your love for me is like, like a bright white shining light. It shines on me every day. And it warms me..." More tears were streaming down her face now as her voice broke slightly, and he could see the sheer resolve it was taking her to even speak.

"It warms all of those places inside me that I thought were always going to be cold...and broken. It lights me up, keeping me out of the dark places I would be without it. It protects me...and makes me feel safe...and loved." His heart soared at her words, for all he ever wanted to give her is exactly what she just described feeling. He gave her a huge smile that faltered only a moment later.

"But Ben, every day I am scared to death that light will burn out. That someday it will go away and leave me in the dark again." Another sob broke free and she choked out, "That I will somehow find a way to mess it up like I always do with everything. And I can't go back to living in the dark again. I can't live without your light."

She took one more deep breath, "I can't live without you."

Ben's own eyes burned now with the threat of tears, overwhelmed with Mal's emotional plea, and he finally closed the gap between them. "Then don't," he simply stated, placing each of his hands on the side of her face, again wiping tears from her cheeks before leaning in to place a sweet kiss on her lips.

"Marry me, Mal," he asked again breathlessly. "Marry me," he closed his eyes and placed his forehead on hers.

"Ben...I love you so much. And there is nothing I want more than to say 'Yes'. But..."

"NO!" Ben disentangled himself from her, his face beginning to flush. "No 'buts', Mal!" He was agitated now, that much she could see as he paced back and forth.

"You just said you can't live without me," he pointed angrily at her chest. "You said you were scared to death to lose me. Did you ever stop to think I feel exactly the same way about you? That I want to be with you forever and ever and happily ever after?"

"I want that too, Ben," she pleaded.

"Then WHAT is the problem?"

"Marrying me is not going to fix how damaged I am!" she finally shouted back.

He stopped his pacing. "What?" he whispered. "Are you serious? I thought we had gotten through all of this 'I'm-not-worthy' crap already! Geez, Mal, I don't know what else I can do to prove to you that I love you. YOU, Mal, the REAL YOU!"

"I know you love me, Ben," her soft voice echoed.

"Obviously you don't or you wouldn't be doubting our future together," he offered wearily, rubbing the back of his neck and wondering how this evening had deteriorated so quickly. He gauged her downcast eyes and shrunken posture and had to tap into his last remaining emotional energy stores to hold it together.

"I'm sorry," he offered, shrugging his shoulders and effectively looking like the weight of the world was on them. "I honestly don't know what else to do to prove to you that we belong together, and that we can create a happily ever after of our own."

"Ben," she took a step toward him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."

"Mal, at some point you're going to have to get out of your own way if you ever really want to be happy."

Her stricken face made him want to take back the words as soon as he said them. At the same time, relief flooded him that they were finally working through the core of their issues. He gave a resigned sigh and reached for one of her hands.

"I love you, Mal," he said simply, willing the acceptance of the statement into her eyes with the forcefulness of his gaze.

"I always have, and I will always be ridiculous for you," he gave her a half-hearted smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "And I know you love me too. When you're ready to join me in our future together I'll be right here waiting for you," he bowed slightly, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it softly.

She missed the warmth of his hand immediately as he released hers, but as he turned and walked away into the garden without her she felt as if all of the light in her life had gone with him.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Beast and the Dragon - Chapter 3**_

Ben stumbled his way into the garden, the sounds of the graduation party already raging in full swing further down the short path as he approached.

' _What the hell just happened?'_ he wondered, wiping the traces of moisture from his face with his hands. The evening had gone from a celebration to a complete chaotic mess in the space of about 5 minutes. The power of that amazing kiss, for whatever reason, had pushed him over the edge and made him feel like tonight was the night to propose.

' _And what the hell was I thinking, springing a proposal on her like that?'_ He knew her better than anyone, and he should have known she would respond like a frightened animal, darting this way and that trying to find an escape route.

Her tear-filled words to him echoed in his mind, tormenting him.

"... _all those places...cold and broken..."_

"... _I can't live without you..."_

"... _leave me in the dark again..."_

He hung his head. _Damn._

"Ben?" a voice called out to him as it approached from the party.

"Evie," he didn't even bother to pretend he was fine, and one look at his face told her it most certainly had to do with her best friend.

"Oh no," she moaned. "What happened?"

Ben stopped, a blank look on his face. "Honestly, I don't even really know. One minute we were kissing, then I proposed, then it all just went to hell."

"Wait, you proposed?" Evie smiled. Despite the situation this was huge news.

He turned his distraught eyes to meet her face and all semblance of a grin was wiped away. She placed a hand on his arm. "What did she say?"

He laughed then, a bitter humorless laugh that she never expected to hear from the handsome king. "She told me I was her light in the darkness and that she couldn't live without me. And then she told me no because she still thinks she's damaged and I couldn't possibly love her."

Evie's face fell. "Oh, Ben. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, me too," he shrugged. "I did not handle it well."

At that she grew apprehensive. "What does that mean?"

Her question was met with silence, which only served to heighten her worry and forced her to use a more demanding tone the second time she asked. "What did you do, Ben?"

He sighed. "I told her I loved her, the REAL her, and always would. And that when she was ready to get out of her own way and have a life with me I would be waiting for her."

Evie shook her head. "Oh my. You sweet, poor, clueless boy."

At that Ben shook off her comforting hand. "Well, what the hell, Evie? I don't know what else to do!" He resumed the pacing as he had done earlier with Mal.

"I love her. Most days she is all I can think about. I would do anything for her, give up my kingdom for her," he drew closer to the young woman again. "Evie...I would die for her. Why can't she understand that?"

"Because you are the first and only person to ever love her like that," she offered simply. "But I think you already know that."

Ben plopped down on one of the nearby benches, raking his hands through his hair. "Yes, I know that. And I shouldn't have sprung that on her so suddenly. I should have been more patient, and now it's going to be a big mess to cleanup."

A sudden thought occurred to him. "Evie, I need you to stick to her like glue and make sure she is okay."

Her confused expression made him jump back off the bench and approach her again, a slightly wild look in his eye. "The last time we fought like this she took off back to the Isle and I almost lost her. I can't do that again, Evie. Please...for me. Please make sure she is okay."

"Okay," she relented. "I'll go track her down and make sure she's not planning another extended vacation."

Ben's eyes closed in silent relief. "Thank you," he whispered. He was surprised when she also leaned in to give him a big hug.

"It will be okay, Benny Boo," she teased, using Mal's pet name for him. "You guys will get through this."

He nodded. "I know. I just wish it didn't always have to be so hard."

She gave him another squeeze on his arm and turned to walk up the path he had just come from.

Steeling himself against the multitude of inquiries he would deflect about Mal's whereabouts, he entered the party. His biggest hope was that everyone else would be having so much fun they would not notice his late entrance, or her absence.

Most of their classmates waved from the dance floor as he casually strolled by, indeed too caught up in their own celebration and the bright pulsating lights to notice anything amiss. Unfortunately, he had the bad luck of crossing directly in front of his parents' seat at their royal table. One look at him from his mother and she knew something was terribly wrong. He saw her whisper something into his father's ear and excuse herself, making a beeline directly toward him.

"Is everything alright, dear?" she questioned, the strain of emotions on Ben's face much more visible now that they were closer to the lights.

"Sure, Mom. Everything's fine," he lied, and obviously not well.

"Benjamin."

Another long sigh. He kept his gaze on the DJ and the dance floor in front of him, knowing if he met his mother's comforting eyes he risked breaking down in tears. "Mal and I had a fight. Mostly my fault. I don't expect her to show up tonight," he offered. "And Mom, I know you love me, but for tonight please just let it drop."

He felt her give his arm a strong squeeze. "I'm sorry, Ben. But she's a smart girl, and she'll be okay. And so will you. This won't be the last fight you two have, of that I am certain," she promised.

A hint of a slight smile crossed his lips. "Thanks Mom," he turned to envelope her in a quick embrace. "I hope you're right."

She had just turned to resume her path back to their table when the wind strength suddenly increased exponentially. She slipped slightly, and would have fallen had Ben not caught her elbow and held her up. He righted her back on her feet, noting the gusts had increased in strength enough to begin bending the trees to their side, and were now threatening to tear down the large tent ceiling that had been constructed over the dance floor.

"What in the world..." Belle began, brushing her hair away from her face. "This wind has been weird all day."

The hairs on the back of Ben's neck began to rise. The wind wasn't the only thing odd about the garden area where hundreds of people were currently celebrating. Despite the bright lights from the dance floor and the normal outdoor flood lights from the school, the entire area suddenly looked...hazy...like a fog was suddenly rolling in.

' _But how can there be fog with this kind of wind?'_ he wondered.

Apparently his father had some of the same concerns, because Ben could see him rising from his chair and peering out of the garden into the darkness beyond. Quickly he hustled his mother back to her table, eager to return her to the protection of his father's side. Even though he was now a King and his own man, he would also admit he felt safer standing next to his strong father.

"What's going on, Dad?" he queried.

"I don't know, Ben. But something is off. The air has changed. Did you feel it too?" his father peered at him quizzically.

"Yeah," he agreed, returning his gaze to the perimeter of the party as his father had previously done. "Something is definitely off."

The fog had continued to creep into the garden, the majority of students unaware of the disturbance and most likely thinking it was a special effect from the DJ. As Ben watched, he noted it did not act like a normal fog. Instead, it slithered like a snake and crept from table to table, slowly engulfing the entirety of the area as if it were searching for something.

Ben heard what sounded like running feet behind him and turned to see Fairy Godmother running towards him, her wand in her hand positioned for use.

"BEN!" she yelled, her high pitched voice barely audible over the loud music. The frantic look on her face and the fact that she had her wand in her hand spurred him to action.

"Let's get you out of here," he told his parents, ushering them away from the fog creeping towards them from the dance floor. He turned for a brief moment to seek out the pathway towards Mal's last known position, noting the fog seemed to be a safe distance away from anywhere she could be. When he turned back towards his parents, the fog had crept in from around the opposite side of the dance floor and had effectively closed off their exit from the garden.

Fairy Godmother extended her wand and a loud "ZAP" was heard as she tried to remove the fog, but her efforts seemed to only double the black swirling mass that was now at their feet.

"What is this stuff?" Ben yelled.

"It is evil," Fairy Godmother yelled back. "Evil enough that I cannot even begin to combat it."

"Right," Ben noted, desperately looking for a way to get his parents to safety. "Mom!" he yelled, then grabbed her hand. He flipped over one table on top of the black swirling fog, just enough for them to step onto, before he grabbed another and another to slowly leapfrog them over to the steps leading up and away from the garden.

He pushed his mother off the last table and up the stairs, looking back to see that his father had been overtaken by the fog. It had wrapped around his legs, preventing him from walking, and had reached up to wrap itself around his wrists and force him into a kneeling position.

"Dad!" he screamed, leapfrogging back across the upside-down tables towards his father. He could hear his mother screaming his name behind him, but all he could think about was reaching his father's side.

Something in his voice must have attracted the attention of his classmates, for the music had stopped, and as they grew more aware of the former king struggling with the black mass they finally realized it was not part of the celebration. Like Ben, several of them attempted to reach the side of the former king to help. Ben quickly realized they would all come to the same fate, as the same black swirls were now affixing themselves to their legs and wrists as well. Oddly enough, though everyone was restrained he and his father were the only ones forced to their knees.

Eerily, the black mass began to swell between him and his father. It rose up into a large black sphere, gradually taking a more humanistic form. The fog ebbed and flowed over the form, almost like the tide, undulating and swirling, and Ben could barely make out the form of a mouth before the figure began to speak.

"You," it hissed, swirling a tendril out to caress Adam's face. "You are the only living remnant of your family's lineage other than the boy king," the mass spewed. Ben saw his father's eyes guardedly move to see his son, tied down by the same black mass currently constricting him.

The former beast lifted his head like a king, the way Ben had always seen him do when he needed to assert himself. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The mass moved again, circling around Adam, hissing and spewing. "I am Evil. And I want your kingdom."


	4. Chapter 4

**_A_** _ **uthor's Note:**_ Sorry, folks, it's going to get a bit rough here this chapter. This was a tough one to write, and actually got much darker than I originally intended it to, but I think it's important to setup the rest of the story. So please forgive me and see it through to the end!

 _ **The Beast and the Dragon, Chapter 4**_

Ben watched as the mass continued to swirl around his father, the pit in his stomach growing larger by the second. Several of the royal guards had hastened to the garden area, only to be frozen in place the second their bodies touched the black fog. Even Fairy Godmother was now motionless, her toes covered by the thick substance.

"Ben?!" he heard his mother cry behind him. He craned his head around, desperately trying to see if she was still free from the evil.

"Mom!" he yelled, seeing her still pacing anxiously around the perimeter of the garden behind him. "Stay there! Don't come any closer!"

"Adam!" she tried, feeling impossibly helpless watching her son and husband struggle against a yet unknown evil.

"Belle, don't come any closer!" he struggled against the black mass, his form now almost completely encircled by the substance as it continued to churn around his body.

Ben turned back to his father, desperately searching for any advantage to release them from their faceless captor. His classmates were tied in place by the fog, just as he was, now utterly helpless to do anything but watch as the scene unfolded. His wrists were becoming raw from the struggle, despite the shapelessness of the binds around them. In fact, it seemed the more he struggled the tighter the bonds got.

Willing himself to relax he took a deep breath in, feeling the bonds around his wrist relax but only slightly. His eyes met his father's, noting the evil had suddenly and eerily stopped it's swirling around the former king. It was now simply a mass of black hanging in midair around him.

Suddenly it began to pull away from Adam, and for a brief moment Ben thought perhaps it would release him. Instead, it appeared to be growing in power, pulling itself back in preparation for a heavy slingshot like blow. The swirl gradually formed into a sword shaped figure, aimed directly at his heart.

"Dad!" Ben frantically began a new campaign against his bonds. "Dad, no!"

His father, completely bound, unable to move and stoically resigned to his fate, was only able to turn his head slightly towards his son. "Benjamin, I love you son, and I'm proud of you. Take care of your mother, and find a way to end this evil before it..."

The slingshot launched, the black fog impaling itself cleanly and bloodlessly into Adam's chest, killing him instantly.

Ben screamed, a wrenching, loss filled scream only matched by his mother's screams behind him. His chest heaved with the sobs wracking his frame, unable to move his body to even curl into himself to alleviate the pain burning through his lungs.

Suddenly the fog shifted again, this time beginning to swirl around him. The same pulsating, undulating rhythm flowed and churned around him now, and Ben realized the blackness had arrived intending to kill them both. He could hear his mother's sobs behind him, and he prayed against hope that she would be strong enough to withstand losing both a husband and a son within mere minutes of each other, and witnessing both of their deaths.

Despite the hopelessness of his situation, Ben was full of righteous anger he could no longer contain. His father was dead, his mother now a widower. This black mass of evil was intent on taking his life and his kingdom, which meant everything and everyone in its path was now in mortal danger.

 _Mal._

He closed his eyes in defeat. If this mass killed him, it would only be a matter of time before it would rule over his kingdom and effectively rule over her, assuming she even survived that long. Knowing her, she would rather die than submit to evil again.

Her tear-filled face came unbidden to his memory...

"... _I can't live without you..."_

And then came the moment that froze his heart. He opened his eyes, the ebony mass mirroring its murderous pose as it had in the seconds before striking down his father. But despite staring down a sword aimed at his heart, black evilness surrounding him while he was vulnerable and bound on his knees, his eyes were suddenly filled only with her.

Mal was standing next to Evie on the hill leading into the garden, her horrified and anguished countenance quickly taking in the whole scene. Not only would his mother witness his murder, so would Mal.

"Ben!" she stormed, eyes instantly beginning to glow, the neon green only momentarily distracting from the obvious flare in her nostrils.

"MAL!" he roared. "NO! STAY AWAY!"

Mal was no longer listening; was no longer in control and was already well on her way to becoming her dragon protector self. She was going to get herself killed right alongside him.

"Evie! Get her out of..."

The sword snapped itself towards Ben's chest. He tensed and turned his head away, expecting sudden and inexplicable pain, but was met with only a mild buzzing sensation.

 _I must be dead already._

Cautiously he looked down at his torso expecting to see a mortal wound. Instead, the sword was now crumpled against the front of his chest as if he were wearing a protective shield. It immediately drew back, swirled slightly, and attempted another striking blow. Ben's breath hitched in his chest as he watched it again and again crumple into nothing more than a pointy black cloud of fog against his chest.

Mal's dragon self had gurgled and screamed incoherently each time he was struck, and she quickly took flight and began breathing fire on every square inch of the fog she could reach without harming any of its human captives. Although it did not recede, he could feel the evil become more and more agitated around him, and it began lashing out at her. It swirled up from the ground, forming thin tendrils reaching up to nip at her wings and feet with each pass as she flew by.

"Mal! Watch out!" he screamed, seeing that the evil was poised to strike like a snake as she returned. Her eyes were blazing with fury and she was oblivious to the danger directly below when she flew for another pass. The evil indeed struck from several fronts directly up into the air, wrapping itself around Mal's feet and wings. It drove her mercilessly into the large stone retaining wall at the far side of the garden. A wild scream from Mal was punctuated by the sickening crunch of flesh and bone, followed only by an unnerving silence. The dragon was disconcertingly still as it lay in the tall grass, and within seconds Mal's dragon form had receded, leaving only her broken human body behind.

Ben's heart stopped. His chest had constricted so tightly he thought it might explode and it was suffocating him. He let out a guttural cry, a roar so loud and powerful that he didn't even recognize his own voice. His eyes were burning, a fearless beastly strength in them that would have normally scared the others around him. But as he yanked with his arms to break free of the black evil that had bonded him, it began snapping away from his limbs. Through sheer will and brute force he managed to break himself free from the grasp of the blackness, throwing the pieces into the remaining agitated swirling mass as if they were firewood.

His righteous anger had morphed into a beastlike rage, directed only at the swirling evil enemy that had murdered his father and attempted to murder his love. It intensified when he saw the black tendrils begin to creep towards Mal's unnervingly still form.

"Get away from her," he growled, taking two long steps towards her. The evil began to take shape into a humanlike form again, drawing itself up in front of him and effectively blocking his path. Ben pulled back his arm and swung with every ounce of anger inside of him, shattering the evil's form but having no effect on the tendrils now wrapping around Mal's arms and legs.

Again the evil blocked his path, and again Ben burst through the mass with the brute strength of his fist. He was still not getting any closer to Mal, and the evil had now established a sufficient grip to lift her from her prone position in the grass. The undulations of the black fog beneath her began moving her body away from him, and she was quickly becoming engulfed in a swirling mass of blackness.

"No," he breathed. "No! Leave her alone!" he screamed, violently breaking through any of the evil that dared get in his way as if it had no power over him. He had almost reached the point where her body had initially fallen when the evil rose up once more, this time the fog morphing into a powdery sand. The breeze began to blow again, the sand trailing a magic path until it reached Ben's face. It flew up both nostrils and into his mouth, registering its power in his sinuses and lungs.

Vertigo, dizziness and nausea instantly sent him to his knees, his head pounding as if it were a drum while his stomach retched and his lungs burned. He crawled on his hands and knees for only a moment before his body mercifully shut down and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Beast and the Dragon, Chapter 5**_

Ben's chest heaved as his body suddenly lurched up in bed, simultaneously coughing and vomiting as his system expelled the blackness from within. Instantly a bucket presented itself, and for several minutes he strained every thoracic and abdominal muscle in his body while retching and heaving. Sweat dripped freely from his face and his vision was blurry, but the flash of yellow and the soft healing hand upon his forehead could only be one person.

"Mom?" he rasped, throat raw from too many coughs and too much bile.

"Yes, Ben," she affirmed, but even in his weakened condition he could hear the mixture of sorrow and relief in her voice.

Fighting through the remaining fog, exhaustion, and fever ravaging his body, Ben struggled to remember what had happened. He relaxed back against a pillow and closed his eyes, desperately piecing flickering memories together in his fractured mind.

 _Flashes of blue and yellow._ " _Learned...what has made us the way we are."_

 _Earnest green eyes. "I love you, Ben."_

 _Desire. "Marry me."_

 _Tears. "Can't live without you."_

 _Resignation. "Get out of your own way."_

 _Warning. "Air has changed...feel it too."_

 _Fear. "Evil."_

 _Death. "Dad!"_

 _Crunch of flesh and bone. Stillness._

"MAL!" Ben's eyes snapped open and his body instantly flew up out of bed, reigniting the nausea that had momentarily ceased. Weakness and instant vertigo forced him to stagger backwards to once again sit on the bed while he retched and coughed, the bucket suddenly reappearing.

His mother's soft hand once again traced his face, and he felt the mattress lower with her weight as she sat beside him. "Ben," she started softly, "don't jump up like that again. It will take some time before these effects are completely gone."

Though not as blurry, his vision was still hazy as his muscles relaxed. Struggling to focus on her face, he could only gasp, "Mom?" before he lilted sideways into her waiting embrace. She smelled of roses and sunshine, as always, but he could feel the sorrow emanating from her whole being.

"Dad," he began hoarsely. "Dad's dead. Isn't he."

It wasn't a question. Though his memories were hazy they were also familiar, and Ben knew he would never forget the sight of the black fog plunging itself through his father's heart.

"Yes, Ben. He's gone," Belle affirmed softly, her voice breaking only slightly.

"And Mal. It...it took her, didn't it."

He could feel her hesitation, most likely fearing another outburst and a return to the bucket, but eventually she just sighed deeply.

"Yes, dear. She's gone."

Ben slowly pushed himself away from his mother's embrace, desperately attempting to gain focus in his vision. Belle was weary and tired, that was plain to see. The grief on her face had lightened somewhat when Ben had awoken, but it still played heavy on her features.

Her hand found his face again. "Ben," she breathed, "I am so thankful you are alive." This time when her voice broke a sob escaped her lips, and before she could cover her mouth her son was crushing her to his chest.

"Me too, Mom," he began, his own eyes filled with tears for his father. "But I don't know how I survived and Dad didn't."

A familiar voice came from the opposite corner of the room. "I might be able to help with that part, Ben."

His head snapped around to see Fairy Godmother sitting in the chair on the far side of what he now realized was his dorm room. She rose and crossed the room to join them, nodding at his mother. Belle righted herself, allowing Ben to focus his full attention on the plump fairy.

"After the graduation ceremony, we placed a protection spell over you. There had been several instances in the past of individuals using spells or magic to control you, and we were concerned that no further harm should come to our king."

"We?" Ben puzzled, then comprehension dawned on him. "Mal."

She nodded. "It was her idea. She had a pressing feeling of urgency that it needed to be done for your protection, and she came to me for help."

"She saved me," he whispered. "That's why the fog couldn't kill me."

"Yes, Ben. Without Mal's spell you would have succumbed just like your father."

"And now she's gone," he took a deep breath and adjusted himself on the bed. "How long have I been out?"

The two women looked between each other before Belle answered. "You've been unconscious for almost five days."

"Five days?" his voice grew in volume and timbre. "Well, what have we done to find this thing? To find Mal?"

Again the women looked at each other uncomfortably, neither one wanting to answer.

"Mom?" he pleaded. "Tell me we know something. Anything."

Another heavy sigh. "I'm sorry son. This evil came out of nowhere and seems to have disappeared right back into it."

Ben pushed himself off the bed, albeit somewhat slower this time, and thankfully the nausea was held at bay. Mounting frustration would not allow him to sit, so he began pacing a small path near his bed, his fists unconsciously clenching at his side.

"What about Evie, Carlos, and Jay? They're from the Isle, maybe they have some idea of what this thing is, or have someone they can contact that might know."

"Believe me, Ben," Fairy Godmother began, "we have exhausted every resource in the entire kingdom as well as the surrounding kingdoms, even from the Isle."

He abruptly stopped his pacing turning to face the women once more. "So that's it? You've just given up?"

Belle stood quickly, a small amount of fire in her eyes. "No. We are most definitely NOT giving up, Benjamin. That thing killed my husband, your father, and would have killed you if it could have. It has kidnapped Mal, who is arguably the best thing to ever happen to this kingdom. If you for one second think we are giving up then you are NOT the son that I raised."

A small, tired smirk graced his lips. "Just checking," he said. "And for the record, Mom, I completely agree. Mal IS the best thing to happen to this kingdom in a long time. And I WILL get her back."

His determination had obviously sapped all of his remaining energy. His hands finally unclenched at his sides as he swayed slightly, his vision again beginning to swim.

"Oh dear," Fairy Godmother quickly pulled out her wand, using it to barely keep Ben from falling on his face. She levitated his dizzy form, floating him back towards the bed. "Back to bed for you, my King."

Belle pulled the covers back up to his chest, brushing the hair from his face. "Rest, my sweet boy, and we will press on."

Ben murmured something unintelligible before losing consciousness once more.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Auradon palace was finally in view, a brightly lit silhouette far off in the night sky. A darkly clad figure kept to the shadows of the available tree line, slowly and steadily growing ever closer to the beacon of light in the distance. She trudged on, weary from her journey but determined to fulfill her intended purpose. She had left her horse in the forest early this morning, not wanting to attract unwanted attention as she crossed the many open fields between it and the Auradon city limits. The last thing she needed was to end up being questioned by some local resident who thought she looked suspicious. Though now, as the girl became more aware of her stealthy movements and dark clothing, she imagined any sane person watching her approach the castle would come to the same conclusion.

Her biggest hope was that she would get close enough to the castle to be able to reach the royal guard. She had only a few hundred meters and she would be within the castle perimeter, and even now she could see the regular movements of the troops as they patrolled the area. She assumed the royal guard would be on high alert after the events of the previous week, but she was not prepared for them to discover her so quickly.

Flood lights instantly turned the darkness to daytime, and she could hear them shouting directions towards her position. Quickly she made the decision to run towards the castle, and the second she cleared the brick perimeter wall she was flattened by a large hulk of a man.

"Please," she gasped, rolling to her side and trying to regain the wind that had been knocked out of her. "I mean no harm, but I must speak to King Benjamin."

"King Benjamin is presently indisposed. And you are trespassing on royal property," the guard intoned, hauling her to her feet and pulling her hands behind her back.

"You must listen to me!" she insisted, sucking in air in an attempt to strengthen her weak sounding voice. "I need to talk to King Benjamin! It's a matter of life and death!"

"Oh yeah? And whose life would that be? Yours is in quite a pickle now, by the way," the guard offered.

"Lady Mal," she stated, keenly aware that her revelation caused every single man in the guard to suddenly stop their movements to reassess their prisoner.

"I know where she is. And I know who has taken her."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	6. Chapter 6

_**The Beast and the Dragon, Chapter 6**_

Belle was not surprised to open Ben's door and find his friends sitting on the floor against the opposite wall in the hallway. She knew from Fairy Godmother's comments throughout the past few days that they had been keeping vigil, anxiously awaiting word on his condition. She herself had not left his room since they had brought him here, for even though she knew he would most likely recover she needed to be by his side when he finally woke.

Evie, Jay, and Doug, aware of the door finally opening, met her tender gaze with an obvious question on their faces.

"He has awoken," she declared, then watched as the three visibly relaxed in relief. "He is still very weak but Fairy Godmother is working on a mild restorative treatment and says he should recover fully."

"Thank goodness for a little bit of good news," Evie whispered, eyes red-rimmed and puffy from several days of tears and little sleep.

Belle crossed to the young girl, kneeling before her and gently taking her hands in her own, careful not to jostle a sleeping Carlos whose head was currently in Evie's lap. "We will find, Mal. Even though we don't know much right now, we will find her. And we will not give up until we do," she assured.

Jay hopped to his feet. "I've asked the Royal Guard, Fairy Godmother, everyone here in Auradon and on the Isle. Is there ANYTHING else we can do?"

He held out a hand to assist the former queen back to her feet. "Unfortunately not," she replied. "We have dispatched every courier in the kingdom, have sent every tracker we can find to gather information and find this...thing," she managed. "Everything thus far has come back as a dead end, but we will not give up."

Belle flashed the teenagers a small smile, bowing her head slightly. "You know, I have to say, I was proud of my son for making such a bold proclamation to bring you all here. It showed courage much beyond his years. It also showed his unyielding faith, that everyone should be given a chance."

Her eyes were rapidly becoming moist, and she brushed a lone tear away before it could dampen her cheek. "But I have to say that I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that you four would impact his life...our lives...the way that you have. And I am ashamed to admit that I did not think it would go well. I was scared. Scared of the evil that you were all born into and what that would mean for my kingdom."

She righted herself to meet their eyes. "I owe you all an apology. Since Ben's coronation you have all been the best friends he could have possibly asked for. And he may not ask now, but he is going to need you. All of you. Whether we find Mal or not..." Her voice trailed off and she bowed her head slightly.

"Well, let's just say either way he is going to need all the friends he can get," she finished.

Jay nodded firmly. "Queen Belle, I can safely speak for all of us when I say we're not going anywhere."

Footsteps rapidly approached, and the group turned to see two members of the Royal Guard hastening towards them down the hall. Evie poked Carlos, wakening the boy as they all jumped to their feet.

"My Queen," they greeted, bowing respectfully.

"Yes, Monsieurs," the queen acknowledged the soldiers, noting their apprehensive stature. "Do you have any new news?"

A pause. "Madam. We….apprehended an unauthorized trespasser, a young girl, on the front lawn this evening. She did not seem to appear dangerous and submitted rather quickly to our guards."

"She?" Belle asked incredulously. "I cannot imagine a young girl would be any cause for alarm once apprehended."

"No madam. However...she asked for King Benjamin. She said she had information about the Lady Mal's whereabouts and who may have taken her."

Belle's eyes widened. "And you are just now bringing me this information?"

The guardsman bowed slightly. "I apologize, madam. We wanted to make sure this information was not just a ploy to draw near the royal family in a time of crisis."

"And?"

The corners of his mouth drew up slightly. "She appears to have legitimate information, madam."

The queen smiled a small smile. "Well then. Bring her to us at once. We will use the study downstairs to meet."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jay paced the floor, unable to sit still. Logistically he knew it would take some time to retrieve the girl from the castle and bring her here, however he was now sure each additional passing minute was threatening to kill him. After all, his sister had been missing for five days, and one of his best friends was just now healing back to normal.

"Jay, you are going to wear a hole in that carpet if you don't stop," Evie warned.

"It's alright, dear," Belle soothed. "I think we are all a bit on edge waiting for..."

Her sentence was cut off by footfalls in the hallway. Two Royal Guards appeared in the doorway, followed by two more guards with their prisoner sandwiched between them. The young girl looked to be their own age, with shockingly red curly hair, a smudged dirty face, and clothes that looked as though they were held together only by the stitches on their patches. Nevertheless, she was obviously beautiful, and the tattered clothes and dirt could not hide the brilliant blue eyes quickly assessing the room.

"That is not necessary," Belle indicated her hands, which were bound together. The guards were hesitant to release her, but the queen nodded her assent and the ropes were untied.

"Thank you, Queen Belle," the girl spoke, in a thick brogue none of them had heard before.

"You are welcome. I am told you have news of the evil that attacked our kingdom."

"Aye, my lady. Twas the same evil that wrecked havoc on mah own kingdom an' killed mah family."

Belle's face dropped, knowing all too well the pain of losing family to the evil. She moved to grasp one of the girls dirty hands, wrapping it in her own. "I'm so sorry, dear. It seems, unfortunately, that we are now bound by this creature."

The girl seemed extremely uncomfortable with the queen's outward display of affection, but also seemed to know her place was not to withdraw from a queen. "Aye, it would seem that we are."

"Where exactly are you from?" Jay interrupted, not fully trusting this ethereally beautiful young woman.

The girl's chin jutted out slightly, obviously proud of her home and her lineage. "Kingdom DunBroch. I am Morgan, granddaughter of King Fergus, daughter of Queen Merida."

"DunBroch!" Belle exclaimed. "Oh my goodness, how far you have traveled."

Morgan nodded. "When I received news that Malum had attacked another kingdom far to the south, I knew I could not rest."

Jay's brow furrowed. "Malum?"

At this Morgan's stature drooped somewhat. "Aye. Malum Magnus. 'Tis a great evil. I grew up hearin' tales of his atrocities that had been passed down for many generations. They spoke of his unimaginable power, harnessed generations ago an' still lyin' dormant in the nearby mountains. I always thought 'twas an old folktale, meant to entertain an' scare us as children. Imagine mah surprise when I discovered it was all true."

"What happened?" Evie prodded gently.

The stoic blue eyes clouded over with her memory. "I was out huntin' with mah Uncle Hamish. We were returnin' home an' were almost there when the wind became too great to continue. Then suddenly it just stopped, an' that's when I heard mah grandmother screamin'."

She paused for a long moment, desperately trying to control the still-fresh emotions. "Hamish ordered me to stay where I was an' he continued on to the village. I followed 'em anyway, an' that's when I saw the Dubh."

At their puzzled glances she paused. "'Twas a dark cloud, movin' of its own accord. Movin' from Malum's instruction an' his will."

"The black fog," Jay interjected.

"Aye, that's what I said," she narrowed her eyes at Jay. "Dubh. Means black."

"The...black fog, as you call it, killed mah grandfather, then mah mother, then mah three uncles and their children. It came over the hill searching for me, an' would have killed me without the protection spell."

At that Evie's ears perked up. "Protection spell?"

"Aye," Morgan's red curls bounced as she nodded. "Mah mother had felt something off, that something ill could be comin'. Unbeknownst to me, she had one of our clansmen cover me in a protection spell. It's the only reason I survived."

"Well that sure sounds familiar," a weak voice said from the doorway. All eyes trained on Ben, leaning heavily against the doorframe.

"Ben!" Evie jumped up and flew across the room to engulf him in a hug, almost knocking him off his feet. "I'm sorry," she fretted, reaching out to steady him. "I'm just so extremely happy to see you up and about."

"Me too, Evie." He accepted hugs from Carlos and Doug, and a huge clap on the back from Jay, before turning to address Morgan.

"Hello," he bowed weakly before motioning her to sit back down. "I am King Ben. I hear that you have traveled a long way to provide us with much needed information."

"Aye, your majesty."

Ben quickly dropped into the chair nearest his mother, not surprised when she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Should you be up and about already?"

Ben nodded, returning her hushed tone. "Fairy Godmother's restorative treatment worked wonders. I feel ten times better!" The lie did not reach his eyes, however; they reflected only pale fatigue.

"And now, not to be rude, Morgan, but what else can you tell us about this evil? We have already lost far too much time with our ignorance," Ben commandeered.

"Your majesty?" Morgan questioned. "I am not here ta just give information."

Confusion crossed Ben's face as he regarded the intense redhead before him. "Oh?"

"Aye. I'm here to help you defeat 'em."

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